Saturday, June 12, 2010

It is rather strange that despite names like Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Himesh Reshammiya and Satish Kaushik involved in Milenge Milenge, you are a little wary about what the music of the film has to offer. Reason being that the elapsed time between the creation of these compositions and now, which accounts to almost half a decade. But then once you jog your memory, you realise that it was 5-7 years back when Himesh Reshammiya had come up with some unforgettable songs in films like Tere Naam, Aitraaz and Humraaz. Due to that very reason, you play on Milenge Milenge to check out if the old world charm prevails once again as the composer pairs up with his long standing lyricist Sameer.

MUSIC

What one gets to hear at the very beginning of the album though is the song 'Kuch To Baaki Hai' which has been composed very recently. This is one song where lyrics hold far more weight than composition and singing because of its topical appeal as well as the fact that it merges real and reel life. The world is aware about Shahid-Kareena break up and since the movie too deals with a break up and then the ultimate reunion, lyrics like 'Sab Khatm Hoke Bhi Tere Mere Darmiyaan Kuch To Baaki Hai' couldn't have been timed better. Add to that the fact that Himesh Reshammiya composes and sings with his heart truly in and you have a chartbuster song up your sleeve.

If there was ever a song that made an instant impact, 'Kuch To Baaki Hai' will find it's place right up there. Despite its sad theme, the song entertains and as does it's 'bright mix' which has Vineet Singh coming up with an interesting vocal percussion. There is also another 'remix version' and one doesn't mind the repetition at all due to the song's catchy appeal.

From here on, the music belongs to the era gone by. Are there any reasons to complain? Not at all as what one gets to hear is Alka Yagnik, the singer who was once a force to reckon with and today has been picking up assignments very sparsely. She leads from the front as she gets into a happy outing with the title song 'Milenge Milenge'. A stage song which has Kareena Kapoor swaying to the melody, it also features Jayesh Gandhi, who was once a regular with Reshammiya, giving vocals for Shahid Kapoor. A song about hope when it comes to meeting your someone special at least once more in life, Milenge Milenge has a certain sweetness to it which is exemplified further due to Alka's vocals. The song also sees a repeat version for itself with Himesh Reshammiya taking centre stage and Shreya Ghoshal giving him support. This time around, the proceedings become far more sober as Reshammiya goes low key in his rendition.

What follows next is as an even slower track, 'Tum Chain Ho', for which Reshammiya summons Sonu Nigam to do the job. Remember the kind of soft love songs that the composer used to compose for Salman Khan many years back? 'Tum Chain Ho' belongs to the same category and though it does take time to catch the melody here, it does linger on after a while. If you have liked the kind of songs that Sonu had sung in his non-film albums like 'Deewana', 'Jaan' and 'Yaad' then you would pick this one too from the shelves. A love song where Alka Yagnik gives good company to Sonu, it also sees an unplugged version by Vineet Singh which actually turns out to be a surprise package. This version is the one which can actually be played in loop and enjoyed for hours at stretch.

The song which turns out to be a definite winner though is 'Ishq Ki Galli' which takes one back to the kind of songs that Dharmesh Darshan-Suneel Darshan-Nadeem Shravan used to have in the films during the late 90s and early 2000s. If you have loved that genre of music where 'qawallis' from the aforementioned combination used to entice audience in thousands, especially from interiors, then 'Ishq Ki Galli' is the one for you. Add to that the fact that it is Rahat Fateh Ali Khan who leads from the front and it is hard to imagine this song not reaching out to its target audience. An immensely catchy number with love as the central element of the proceedings, 'Ishq Ki Gali' sees good support coming from Jayesh Gandhi and later finds a good 'remix version' for itself which actually manages to get the feet tapping.

Lastly comes an Alka Yagnik solo, 'Hare Kanch Ki Chuddiyan'. With references to 'Mehendi', 'Radha' and 'Shyam', this one truly belongs to the earlier part of the current decade and at maximum makes one recollect the kind of music which was composed back then. Rest assured, if released during that time period, it would have done reasonably well. However, despite the sweetness and innocence that Alka Yagnik brings in her voice, the song is just about passable.

OVERALL

Milenge Milenge gives a little more than what one may have expected out of this album. Thankfully for the makers, the music hasn't lost its edge over the years and has the potential in it to entertain audience from the current generation as well. Himesh Reshammiya has created tunes which belong to the heartland of the country and hasn't gone ballistic on Western influences. In fact there is a certain Indian feel which is prevalent throughout the score of Milenge Milenge which would help audiences, especially the ones which may not necessarily belong to the metropolitan cities, to identify with the score. Add to that the fact there is bound to be immense craze around the coming together of Shahid-Kareena which would be further complimented by an intense promotional campaign and there could well be a surprise winner round the corner.